Tag: burglary
By Caleb Hutton
BELLINGHAM — A homeless man was arrested after police said he shoplifted three bottles of cheap whiskey — in three separate trips — from a Bellingham Rite Aid, and drunkenly beat two men under a bridge while officers investigated.
Early Jan. 28, police were called to Rite Aid, 3227 Northwest Drive, to a report of someone shoplifting a fifth of whiskey. A linchpin witness left the scene before police could get much info, but a basic suspect description matched Frank Ellis Revey-Lane, 28, a homeless man known to frequent the store, said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young.
So Rite Aid employees asked police to issue him a trespass warning.
At 2:30 p.m., a store employee saw Revey-Lane fleeing the store, again, clutching another fifth of cheap whiskey, Young said. During a brief chase on foot, the culprit ditched the evidence, shattering it on the asphalt.
Police spoke with Revey-Lane under a nearby bridge in the same block, where he’s known to stay. They found a freshly opened bottle of the missing brand of whiskey in the hovel. He was warned not to go into the store again and giving a slip of paper explaining the warning.
Officers left the bridge and set up a short-lived stakeout outside the store.
Within minutes, Revey-Lane walked into Rite Aid again and came out with another bottle of whiskey, Young said.
About the same time, two men — aged 33 and 43 — emerged from the homeless camp under the bridge with swollen, beaten faces. They said Revey-Lane had punched them in the face, Young said. At least one of them needed immediate treatment at St. Joseph hospital.
Revey-Lane was booked into Whatcom County Jail on investigation of second-degree burglary, second-degree theft, second-degree trespassing, fourth-degree assault and fourth-degree domestic violence assault (because one of them men was a relative).
Police didn’t note an obvious motive for the assaults, but Young pointed out Revey-Lane was very drunk.
By Caleb Hutton
An alleged intruder was held at gunpoint early Thursday, Jan. 10, after the tenants of a Carolina Street duplex heard footsteps in a supposedly vacant unit upstairs.
At 1:50 a.m., a boyfriend and girlfriend heard footsteps coming from the upstairs unit in the 700 block of Carolina, said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young.
The 24-year-old boyfriend grabbed a shotgun and shouted a warning to the man upstairs. The squatter — who had been “casually cooking food on the stove” — opened the door and cooperated, at gunpoint, until the cops showed up, Young said.
The suspect was identified as Jacob Dean Ringenbach, 26. He told officers he didn’t have anywhere else to stay. Police booked him into jail on suspicion of residential burglary. It didn’t appear any property was actually stolen, according to police. Young wasn’t sure how long Ringenbach had lived in the home.
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Monday, Dec. 24, 2012
10:04 p.m. A customer visiting a closed business on Boblett Street was sliding his payment under the door when he realized that the door was unlocked, and the dark premises were unsecured. He called police, who responded to check the building. The door was unlocked but the very good alarm system was active and set off a cacophony as soon as the door was opened. Officers checked the interior and did not find anything obviously amiss, then remained onsite until a business call-out could respond to secure the building.
Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012
2:22 a.m. Early on Christmas morning dispatchers advised Blaine police that a woman had telephoned from a residence on F Street screaming for help. The call taker heard sounds of a man kicking in a door and then the phone line went dead. The suspect attempted to flee on foot but was detained by an arriving police officer. The victim had not been physically harmed but was very frightened. She told police that she was staying at her friend’s apartment when the man, whom she had once dated, arrived outside, threatened to kill her if she did not let him in, and then kicked down her front door. The intoxicated 33-year-old suspect became enraged when arrested. He had to be placed in restraints when transported to jail, where he was booked for residential burglary, malicious mischief, and harassment, all involving domestic violence. U.S. Border Patrol agents assisted on the call.
7:09 p.m. Police were dispatched to a 911 hang up at a D Street home on Christmas evening. Officers arrived and found a family holiday gathering in progress. Children at the party might have taken the phone off the hook.
Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012
2:35 p.m. An officer spotted a vehicle traveling almost 20 mph over the posted speed limit on H Street and stopped the driver. It turned out that the lead-footed motorist was also driving in violation of a Washington license suspension that was imposed when he failed to take care of a speeding ticket he received in Everett in 2010. The British Columbia resident was issued a criminal citation for driving with a suspended license and an infraction for today’s excessive speed. His wife was legally licensed, and drove his pickup from the scene.
Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012
1:17 p.m. A woman reported that a man driving a car that looked liked a white colored Toyota Camry had exposed himself to her, demonstrating a one-person sex act, when she walked past his parked car in a parking lot on H Street. The victim called police immediately, but the suspect left the area and was not located.
Friday, Dec. 28, 2012
8:37 a.m. Police monitored that North Whatcom Fire was in route to a residential structure fire on Blaine Avenue when they received a call of an activated general fire alarm at a home on 16th Street. A Blaine officer responded to the 16th Street address to check that scene, and met an alarm company consultant there. He was working on the system and accidentally tripped the alarm. The officer notified fire units of the contact and they concentrated their efforts on the fire on Blaine Avenue. False alarm report generated.
1:46 p.m. Employees at a business downtown called police when a older, infirm looking gentleman wandered in and out of the premises, seeming a bit disoriented. An officer located him nearby, trying to talk strangers into giving him a ride. The 84-year-old Canadian citizen lives with family in Abbotsford and decided to hitchhike to Bellingham to shop for car insurance. His family was thankful for a phone call explaining that Dad was safe, and getting a police car ride up to Canadian Customs to wait for his relatives.
Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012
6:25 p.m. An officer responding to a drug investigation near the Peace Arch found an injured seagull sitting in the emergency access lane to the border crossing. The officer stopped and removed the injured bird from the roadway, and contacted the Whatcom Humane Society to respond and care for the animal. A humane society officer arrived a short time later and took the bird under wing.
Monday, Dec. 31, 2012
10:33 a.m. Officer was dispatched to a residence in the 700 block of F Street on a complaint from a resident who was being harassed by other tenants who were calling her names. The suspect tenants were contacted and denied calling the other any names, and were warned about violating harassment laws.
6:45 p.m. Motorists waiting in heavy, northbound New Year’s Eve traffic on the truck route called 911 to report that other vehicles were committing violations such as illegal lane changes, line cutting, wrong-way driving, speeding and “just horrible” maneuvers. It was a jungle out there. An officer plunged into the mix and issued six citations in two hours for a variety of violations closely mirroring the callers’ complaints. The officer left the area when the traffic was clear.
7:20 p.m. A motorist reported that a vehicle passed her in a no-passing zone on H Street, and she believed the person might be under the influence of alcohol because the offending driver was holding a bottle of something that looked like beer. Officers searched for the vehicle, but could not find it.
Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013
9 p.m. A trucker unhooked a trailer from his tractor in a truck stop parking lot on Boblett Street. The business asked him to move it but he refused he did not own the trailer. The employees called police, and when officers arrived he changed his story, admitted the trailer was his and said he would collect it in the morning. The truck stop workers declined the business and, at their request, officers advised the driver to hook up his trailer and leave the property. They told him he would be arrested for trespassing if he returned. The truck hooked up the trailer and drove away, but returned an hour later and parked in the back of the lot. Officers again responded, and this time arrested the trucker for trespassing.
By Caleb Hutton
See below for update.
Ferndale police are investigating an apparent nighttime burglary at Vista Middle School. but few details were available Friday afternoon, Dec. 28.
Someone shattered a classroom window at the school late Thursday, Dec. 27, setting off an alarm, said Ferndale Police Lt. Matt Huffman. Officers found wet footprints near the crime scene and an unlocked door, but no suspect.
At the time of the latest police report, officers were still figuring out what — if anything — had been stolen.
I’ve got a call out to the Ferndale School District and will update this post if I get any more info today.
Update at 4 p.m. School District Superintendent Linda Quinn said it appeared the burglar rummaged through a few drawers, but nothing obvious was missing from the classrooms that were vandalized.
“I can’t say what might have been in someone’s desk,” Quinn said.
The break-in alarm went off about 11 p.m. A few interior windows were shattered in some classrooms. All teachers in the school have laptops, but they’d taken them home for winter break. When school starts up again in January, the principal plans to round up staff to find out if anything was stolen from their rooms.
Quinn suspects the vandal left on foot and in a hurry, because nothing hefty appeared to have been targeted.
By Caleb Hutton
BELLINGHAM — A Bellingham man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend several times has pleaded guilty and agreed to a recommended prison term of 15 years.
Warren Denell Willis, 32, admitted guilt Tuesday, Dec. 4, to first-degree burglary and two counts of second-degree assault after he broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home on June 24, attacking her and her current boyfriend with a knife.
In the plea deal, prosecutors recommended Willis serve a 15-year sentence. He also agreed to pay about $3,000 in restitution.
From the story Zoe Fraley wrote in June:
Deputies responded to a home in the 100 block of East Smith Road at about 8 a.m., where Warren Willis … had allegedly forced his way in and assaulted his ex-girlfriend. She had moved to the home to get away from Willis and didn’t think he knew where she lived, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Willis allegedly pulled the woman’s hair, repeatedly punched her, attempted to strangle her, slammed her face into a kitchen counter and stabbed her multiple times. He told her that he was going to kill her.
The woman’s current boyfriend and a female friend told deputies they saw Willis straddling the woman and stabbing and punching her. They tried to stop him by hitting him with potted plants and pots and pans, and using a Taser.
As they tried to help, Willis allegedly tried to assault them as well, attempting to stab the current boyfriend.
The assault finally stopped when Willis was hit in the head with a pan. Sheriff Bill Elfo said that if the two hadn’t intervened, Willis might have killed the woman.
The woman was taken to St. Joseph hospital with stab wounds, a broken nose and bruising and swelling to her face and neck. She was released from the hospital Sunday night.
I plan to follow up on the story at Willis’ sentencing. The date of that hearing wasn’t available from the prosecutor’s office.
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Wednesday, Oct. 24
3:21 p.m. A tavern employee called police mid-afternoon to report a suspicious man in the area had been asked to leave their premises because he appeared to be high. The subject reportedly rode away on a bicycle with no seat. Police intercepted the transient about a block away and found that he was not impaired by drugs or alcohol, but appeared to possibly have minor mental issues. He was not wanted for any warrants, and was asked to pedal with caution on his journey out of town.
4:29 p.m. The 911 call center asked Blaine Police to search out and contact a bunch of boys with a motorcycle who were probably in the area of Sweet Road and the city limits. The dispatchers were tracking a series of calls from a “911-only’ cell phone: The caller would not talk to dispatchers but they could hear boyish chatter and a cycle in the background. A Blaine officer located the group of kids and their adult chaperone. They apologized and terminated the problem by moving the cell phone to a different pocket.
Thursday, Oct. 25
1:05 a.m. A concerned resident called police when they spotted a figure outdoors with a flashlight in the 300 block of E Street. Officers arrived and interrupted masked trespassers who were in the process of stealing fish from an outdoor landscape pond. The suspects were doing their best to dispose of the evidence by consuming it, much to the chagrin of the flashlight-wielding pond owner who was working to reset the breaker switch on his landscape security lighting. In the end the pond was filled with light, but not before the raccoons were filled with fish.
6:20 p.m. Police were dispatched to contact a parent who was reporting her runaway teenage daughter has returned home. An officer met the family and confirmed that the young lady was now physically home. The teen had violated her probation by leaving home without permission, and she was wanted on an juvenile court arrest warrant for an alcohol violation. She
was arrested and booked in to Juvenile Detention.
9:07 p.m. Blaine police were assisted by U.S. Border Patrol agents when they responded to a report of a disorderly person at a restaurant lounge in downtown Blaine. They contacted a belligerent drunk at the business, and learned from witnesses that the stranger had come in to the eatery and threatened to assault an employee for no apparent reason. The drunk directed his confrontational behavior toward the arriving officers as they investigated the incident. The problem was resolved by arresting the 35-year-old Bellingham resident and booking him in to jail for misdemeanor assault, disorderly conduct, public consumption of alcohol and resisting arrest.
Friday, Oct. 26
1:25 p.m. A young man on O’Dell Road was a little more than startled when a large mouse popped up beside him, and fixated on his unexpected visitor. Unfortunately the gent was driving his pickup at the time, and the next thing to pop up was the much larger light pole that he crashed in to while trying to come to grips with the rodent. Man and mouse survived the collision, but the motorist’s desire to exterminate his passenger was overcome by his need to first extinguish his vehicle, because a fire erupted following the wreck. The Blaine officer who arrived at the scene discovered that the truck had careened out of the city limits and in to the county’s jurisdiction before crashing and catching fire, so the final twist of bad luck in the long mouse tale fell to the sheriff’s deputy who had to respond and fit the entire adventure into a traffic collision report.
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Tuesday, Sept. 11
9:25 p.m. A woman called police from Boblett Street to report her purse had been stolen earlier in the day from the business where she works in Blaine. The victim had delayed making a report until she was able to get home from work and check that she had not left the purse at home. She had already notified her credit card companies and banks, and had cancelled the service to the cell phone she had been carrying. Officers are investigating.
Wednesday, Sept. 12
3:53 a.m. A Blaine resident angry over marital problems kept his family awake most of the night with his laments at a home on Fifth Street. Law enforcement eventually got involved when the man called 911 and reported his wife had attacked him, cutting him with a knife. Police responded to the home and were assisted by U.S. Border Patrol agents in making sure the couple and their children were unharmed and unarmed. When it became evident no one was buying his story, the man admitted he had made up the knife attack story out of spite. The officers then conducted a false reporting investigation for the prosecutor, and transported the man to a relative’s house so his wife and kids could get some sleep.
4:57 p.m. Officers responded to an emergency call on the pedestrian path adjacent to Semiahmoo Parkway, and found an injured woman being tended to by her husband. The couple had been bicycling on the path when the lady fell and struck her head, which was not protected by a helmet. The victim was transported to hospital by medics.
5:09 p.m. A Birch Bay family called Blaine Police to report their child’s saxophone had been stolen from the Blaine Middle School sometime over the past week. An officer was not able to responded to contact the victims at the time of the report, and they filed a written statement about the $260 loss. There are no suspects at this time.
6:09 p.m. Police were dispatched to an apartment complex on F Street to once again intercede in an ongoing disagreement between neighbors. This time one of the ladies was upset because she had been sitting outside in a common area enjoying the afternoon shade, when her nemesis came out and started taking photographs of her. The photographer was contacted, and she explained that the landlord had instructed her to take pictures of anything that she found bothersome. On the upside, at least they’re shooting cameras.
Thursday, Sept. 13
4:31 p.m. A woman called police to report that she had forgotten her purse at a business, and when she returned to pick it up the purse was gone. An officer responded to the D Street business, but arrived to find that the victim was now gone as well. Apparently she wanted to avoid the embarrassment of explaining that she had discovered that her purse had just been set aside by store employees to keep it safe.
Friday, Sept. 14
8:05 a.m. A resident near Eighth and D streets reported her cat was fine when it went outside about noon, but it limped home injured about 1:30 p.m. The lady took her pet to the vet, and discovered that the animal had been shot with a pellet gun which fractured one of its legs. Surgery was required to remove the projectile repair the limb. Police and animal control were notified and are canvassing the neighborhood to locate witnesses who have seen anyone using a BB or pellet gun in the area. Under investigation.
9:13 a.m. An electrician working on a home construction on Eighth Street discovered that 50 feet of various sizes of copper wiring had been cut out and stolen from the site. Under investigation.
3:06 p.m. A car owner reported that two magnetic signs advertising an Air Brush Tanning business had been stolen while the car was parked in a business lot on Martin Street. There are no suspects in the theft.
Saturday, Sept. 15
8:50 p.m. A person called from Runge Avenue to report that her roommate had physically assaulted her. Officers responded to investigate and found evidence of a verbal dispute but not a physical assault. The call did yield an unexpected surprise in that the roommate was wanted on arrest warrants, and the 37-year-old woman was booked into jail.
Sunday, Sept. 16
11:42 a.m. Police received a report that a refrigerator trailer had been stolen from its parking spot on Peace Portal Drive. The trailer was empty at the time, and police are investigating the $20,000 theft.
Tuesday, Sept. 18
1:30 a.m. A pedestrian too intoxicated to peddle was walking his bicycle on E Street when a stranger assaulted him and stole his bike. The victim stumbled to safety a couple blocks away and called 911. Police were in the area at the time of the call but were unable to located the suspect or the victim’s bike. He was given a ride home and left with stolen property report forms to complete when he was awake and feeling better.
5:07 a.m. Blaine Police were called to assist sheriffs deputies with a possible burglary in progress in the 8000 block of Harborview Road. An officer assisted county units in locating and contacting five subjects in the area.
Posted by Caleb Hutton
Text courtesy of the Blaine Police Department, with minor edits for style.
Wednesday, Aug. 22
8:36 a.m. A business on Pipeline Road reported that a battery had been stolen overnight from a commercial truck parked on their property. The battery will cost about $300 to replace, while the damage the thief did to the truck will cost about $500 to repair.
Thursday, Aug. 23
11:11 a.m. A couple on Mitchell Street left home for a few hours during the day and returned to find that a burglar had gotten in through an unsecured window. The thief or thieves stole a small amount of cash and smashed a Tinkerbell cookie jar. The loss is estimated at about $50, and police are investigating.
Friday, Aug. 24
2:50 p.m. A resident on Blaine Avenue reported that a package delivery service had brought a package to her house while he was not at home, and left it on the porch. Someone stole the box before she arrived to collect it. It had contained children’s toys and clothing. Police are investigating.
Saturday, Aug. 25
11:30 p.m. A passerby called police late at night to report that a juvenile was sneaking around a car parked on Martin Street with a flashlight. Officers found and contacted the young man sleeping in the back of the vehicle. He was visiting his aunt but found the small home too crowded for sleeping, so he decided to spend the night in the auto. The boy’s story checked out, and officers wished him a good night.
Sunday, Aug. 26
4:04 a.m. A person called 911 numerous times to find out if police had responded to an earlier call he had made about a possible crash on the freeway. Officers responded and explained that officers had responded to the call and that officers simply had not used their sirens while responding. The intoxicated man thanked officers and agreed to stop calling 911 for the night.
10:26 a.m. A resident called police to check the welfare of her neighbor, whom she had not seen nor been able to contact for some time. An officer scaled the neighbor’s fence and peered through the missing woman’s kitchen window. He could see the lady inside, washing dishes about three feet away, and called to her by name. Following a B-movie worthy scream, the woman came outside and was reunited with her concerned neighbor. No dishes were destroyed during the event.
5:10 p.m. Officers responded to assist Ferndale police and the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office with report of a vehicle that was driving slowly on the freeway blocking a lane of travel northbound. Officers arrived to assist with the contact of the occupants. They determined the driver was from a foreign land and was not aware of U.S. traffic laws and our version of courteous driving behavior.
Monday, Aug. 27
8 a.m. The city received information about a business on D Street possibly selling liquor to minors and cigarettes to underaged kids. The information was forward to patrol officers and the state liquor control board.
Tuesday, Aug. 28
1:01 p.m. Blaine Police were dispatched to the Peace Arch border crossing after a fledgling post-modern baker arrived at the border with a bag of fresh baked brownies which contained a special ingredient prohibited by law. A Blaine officer confirmed that the baked goods indeed had suspected marijuana in them via a chemical field test. The Oregon resident was arrested, cited and released with the court date for the offense.
Wednesday, Aug. 29
8:36 a.m. A customer reported he purchased a $1413.56 watch on Ebay, but when he came to pick up the watch at his post office box, the package was empty. The victim had tried unsuccessfully to contact the seller, and Ebay advised a police report was needed in order to reimburse his money. Officers are assisting in the matter.
By Caleb Hutton
Police found shattered glass and scattered cigarette cartons on the ground outside the Meridian Super Mart, 4130 Meridian Street, after responding to a glass breakage alarm at 12:48 a.m. Tuesday, June 12.
A police dog picked up a scent at the crime scene, leading officers to a Volkswagen van parked behind O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, about a block away, said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young.
A man inside the van, John Aquinas Thomas, 52, refused to come out when the officers asked him to.
“At gunpoint,” Young said, “officers convinced the subject to come out.”
Thomas then refused to go to the ground, Young said. He was cited for obstructing law enforcement, but officers were unable to search his car without a warrant.
Thomas, whose van had Montana plates, was not booked into jail on burglary charges. The case remains under investigation.
An inventory check at the Super Mart later suggested nothing was stolen, said an employee who answered the phone Wednesday.
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